The art of an identity

“Identity” is an ongoing conversation between the artist and the viewer in the art world, and for Lakewood’s 11th Annual Sculpture Exhibition, that conversation gets brought to the front.

“Identity” will be on display at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, through Aug. 17. Juried by local artist Laura Phelps Rogers, the show highlights sculptures that explore artists’ identities.

“I asked a little more of the artists than just submitting work,” Rogers said. “It’s been a remarkable experience as an artist to have people respond to what I ask of them.”

There are 27 sculptures on display, in a wide variety of mediums, from cast metal and videos to mixed media and woodwork.

Lorene Joos, arts curator with Lakewood, said the pieces on display really encourage visitors to get inside the artist’s head, and invite them to figure out what they were thinking.

“There’s a bit of a narrative expressed throughout the works of the artists expressing something autobiographical,” Joos said. She said that by doing this the viewer becomes a participant, as it will invoke memories from their lives.

Rogers has been in the antique business for 30 years, and said she recognizes the importance of remembering things that are disappearing, and the memories each sculpture evoke fit that bill.

“Art can be very cathartic for the artists, and I’ve been very intrigued by what has been created,” she said. “With sculptures, there is also something I like about the physicality of coming up to a piece to examine it.”

Visitors to the exhibit will receive a booklet that includes thoughts from each of the contributing artists on their works. They discuss what inspired them and where the idea for the piece came from. The artists also describe what the works represent, and the memories they conjure.

“Getting to run the whole gamut is really wonderful,” Joos said. “When it works and someone connects with one of these, it’s a very lovely thing.”